


Ghosting

by Invictusimpala



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bully Balthazar, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Out, Peer Pressure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-11-05
Packaged: 2018-02-24 05:58:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2570687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Invictusimpala/pseuds/Invictusimpala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Balthazar bets Sam he can't ask out 'the school freak' Castiel for twenty dollars, you know the guy Sam's been in love with for a year. Things don't go as the bully suspects they will.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ghosting

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt I received on my tumblr. Thank you so much for reading, enjoy :)

Sam’s friends aren't the best. After high school he got mixed in with a weird group of kids older than him. They make him do weird things all the time in order to be in their little ‘group’, and one of them is both the best and worst thing he’s ever done in his life.

It starts early in the morning. They always come to crash at his dorm, and he has to be up and ready by seven in order to be initiated.

All he wants to do is fit in. He’s alone out here in California with no one but these guys, and he can’t exactly just ditch them lest them come after him with someone else and make _his_ life hell.

Balthazar knocks on his door, and he opens it to find him and two others behind, him leaning against the wall.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“We have a task for you, if you’re up to it.”

“Okay, what is it?”

Balthazar looks at the other two, sharing a secret grin, and Sam already knows he doesn't want to be in on it. His smile falters a little bit, but he puts it back up again when Balth looks back at him.

“I bet you twenty dollars that you can’t ask out Castiel, you know, the school freak.”

Shit, Sam thinks. _Fuck_. He can’t do this.

He’s liked Castiel since he got to this school a year ago. His windswept hair and same cup of coffee every morning while he walks to and from his lectures is perfect, something Sam loves about him. His big blue eyes always peer over at Sam, a small smile lighting his face for half a second before he’s back to his serious self with a purpose to get his classes done and over with.

Sam’s screwed, he thinks, and his plan for asking Castiel out for real is being torn and thrown in a fire as he speaks, kudos to Balthazar, king of the douche bags.

Instead of saying he has something else, he finds himself agreeing against his will.

“Sure.”

“Great! Do it now, I saw him sitting in the courtyard.”

Dread threads its way through every vein in Sam’s body, and he’s sure he looks panic stricken as they all laugh at him.

“Come on, get your ass out there or else it’s going to be you we’re bullying, friend.” Balthazar says, and Sam nods.

“Yeah, right, okay, I can do that. I’ll be right back.”

“Oh, no, we’re coming with you.”

Sam tries not to make a visible reaction as he walks across the courtyard.

Castiel is sitting, reading a book that’s familiar, but Sam can’t place what it is off the top of his head by the cover.

Castiel looks up, with a pleasantly surprised look on his face until he sees Balthazar and he cronies trailing behind. Sam flinches, and Castiel just glares up at him.

He sits down, grabbing Castiel’s hand, and Balthazar snickers.

“So, Cas, I have something to ask you.”

“Sam, I don’t think I --”

“Do you want to go out with me?” Sam asks quickly, and Balthazar bites his fist to keep from laughing, and Castiel narrows his eyes.

“No.” Castiel stalks away, book left behind on the bench, and Balthazar roars with laughter. Sam pretends to laugh, but it comes out garbled, like he’s choking, and it’s true because he can’t breathe all of a sudden.

He holds out a hand and gets his twenty dollars before he leaves back to his dorm room. He makes sure those guys aren't following him anymore before he opens the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Sam throws himself down onto his bed with an unhappy noise.

He doesn't realize he fell asleep until he wakes, his muscles cramping as he rolls over into a better position. It’s dark out now, he’s missed his classes. Castiel’s book lays untouched on the bed.

Sam reaches for it, cracking open the pages. All of them are marked up with little notes in black ink, things in different languages Sam can’t pin, highlighted quotes that Sam smiles at.

Castiel has written his own name is different fonts, swirls on the ‘C’ sometimes, but most times just a plain curve, the rest of it curling decoratively.

On the last few pages it’s Sam’s name, always the same coil of letters mashed together, sometimes with his last name thrown in.

Guilt makes his stomach churn, his heart pound uncomfortably, and he finds Castiel’s number on the back page with a ‘return to’ address.

Sam calls, but Castiel doesn't answer. He calls again and he picks up on the fourth ring.

“This is Castiel.”

“Uh, Cas, this is Sam. Please don’t hang up, I . . . I have your book and I thought you might want it back.”

Castiel pauses, takes a deep breath.

“Keep it.”

The phone makes an end call tone signifying Castiel has hung up, and Sam huffs a frustrated sigh.

He calls again.

“This number is blocked, try again later.”

Sam barely resists throwing his phone against the wall.

The next morning he sees Castiel, but he brushes by Sam before he can get a single word out. He doesn't eat, he feels too horrible to, and it stays like that for a while, him being brushed off. He deserves it, Sam thinks. He deserves to feel this shitty because he did that to Castiel of his own volition, he could have backed out but he did it.

For twenty dollars.

Sam inwardly groans. He’ll catch Castiel tomorrow, he tells himself before he falls asleep, although it’s unconvincing.

Sam brings the book to Castiel’s door. It takes him twenty minutes to convince himself to knock, and even then it’s just a light rap on the door that even he can’t hear.

Castiel must have incredible hearing, though, because he answers the door. And then slams in Sam’s face. Sam manages to wedge his heel in the doorjamb.

“Ow.”

“What do you want, Sam?” Castiel asks, and venom seeps into every word.

“I brought your book.”

“I told you that you could keep it.”

“I know, but I thought it might be important. I know you like this one a lot.”

Castiel opens the door hesitantly, still guarded, and he peers down the hallway.

“Is Balthazar here?”

“No, and I won’t ever be talking to him again. Here’s the twenty dollars he gave me. I . . . Cas, I was dumb, okay? I didn't mean to do it. He bullied me into doing it, and I shouldn't have just fallen for it, and I’m sorry.”

Castiel’s face softens a little, his stance becomes less on edge, and he opens the door wider.

“Would you like to come in? I have some tea and coffee.”

“No, I should probably get going. I just thought you should know that I _was_ planning on asking you out on my own, and I know my chances are ruined, but I do like you. A lot. I like your smile and your hair, I like that you drink coffee every morning and smell like the ocean. And I swear I’m not a stalker, I just . . . I really like you, and I’m a total idiot because I let some bully mess it all up.”

“Sam --”

“I know you liked me, too, but don’t. I’m a jerk and I screwed myself over. It’s okay. I don’t need you to forgive me, I just need you to know that -- _oomph_!” Cas smashes his lips to Sam’s, and Sam makes a surprised sound, tensing for a moment before melting into it, grabbing Castiel’s hips for some leverage.

Castiel pulls Sam into his dorm, kissing his lips harder, licking past them into his mouth, and Sam grunts, kicking the door closed with his foot, pressing Castiel against the wall.

Castiel breaks away first, trying to catch his breath, a grin on his face.

“I knew you would come around.”

“Sorry I was such an asshole.”

“Aren’t we all?”

Sam shakes his head, kissing Castiel again.

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the song Ghosting by Mother Mother.  
> [My Tumblr](http://www.invictus-impala.tumblr.com)  
> I am taking prompts there, if you're interested :)  
> (More info on that [here](http://invictus-impala.tumblr.com/post/99871679299/about-prompts-im-now-taking-prompts-yay-if-you))


End file.
